However, sloppy play reigned supreme down the stretch, as the Rockets mustered just 20 points in the fourth quarter while allowing the Kings to drop 30 (their most in any one period) in the game's final frame.

New Years wish -- we understand a possession in the 1st half is just as important as the 2nd half

DeMarcus Cousins played arguably his best two-way game of the season in the win, scoring 17 points and grabbing 16 rebounds while taking a big charge and scoring clutch buckets in the game's final minutes.

The Kings shot 49 percent from the field and 32 percent from three while the Rockets struggled to find their stroke from beyond the arc, hitting on 25 percent of their attempts from distance on a night when they shot 48 percent from the floor.

The first Rockets scorer into double figures, James Harden capped off 2013 by leading Houston in scoring, dropping a season-high 38 points (including 16 in the third quarter) on 12-of-26 shooting (5-of-11 from three) on Tuesday night. Harden also grabbed 10 rebounds in the loss.

However, as has often been the case, Harden opted to save most of his energy for the offensive end.

And if you want to know just how weak Harden's defensive effort was early on, all you have to do is check out Marcus Thornton and Ben McLemore's numbers.

In his first 12 minutes of action, Thornton scored 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, while McLemore added 13 points as he capitalized on easy looks from start to finish.

To Harden's credit, he did ramp up the defensive intensity a bit in the second half, but when it comes to tight games like this one, the Rockets could have used a full 48 minutes of defense from The Bearded One.

"New Years wish -- we understand a possession in the 1st half is just as important as the 2nd half," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted after the game.

They also would have appreciated fewer turnovers from Harden, who committed a team-high five on the night, including back-to-back giveaways on key possessions down the stretch.

Were it not been for a sensational and perhaps game-saving second half, Harden's grade would have been lower.

After posting a doughnut in the first quarter, Dwight Howard went to work on the inferior trio of Quincy Acy, Jason Thompson and Aaron Gray, scoring nine points in less than four minutes to start the second period.

In total, Howard finished with 13 points in the quarter and 15 on the night while pulling down eight rebounds in a key one-on-one battle with Cousins. He blocked only one shot and went 5-of-11 from the free-throw line in the loss.

It's safe to say that Howard was thoroughly shown up by Cousins, who not only posted a double-double, but also ripped four steals in the win.

Howard was fortunate that Cousins saw just nine first-half minutes after picking up two early fouls, too, because his production tapered off considerably in the second half as the Kings big man bodied him up in the post.

Grade: C

Chandler Parsons, Small Forward

It was a steady but relatively quiet night on the scoring front for Chandler Parsons, who scored 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting (1-of-7 from three) and committed three turnovers.

And just like Harden, Parsons was only capable of making an impact on one end of the floor, as Rudy Gay dropped 25 points, including 17 in the first half on 6-of-9 shooting.

Rockets sitting Harden, Parsons to end half. Very unusual for them. Both are getting torched.